EDITORIAL | Consider North Korea Troop Dispatch to Ukraine a Crisis

On October 16, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that "North Korea is joining Russia's war of aggression." He made the statement in a speech to the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada). However, three days earlier, he had already pointed out that Pyongyang was now sending military personnel and arms to Russia. 

According to multiple Ukrainian media, the Russian military has formed a roughly 3,000-strong unit of North Korean soldiers. This unit has been deployed to the Russia-Ukraine border area. Other reports claim that 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia. 

North Korea has exported ballistic missiles and millions of artillery shells to Russia for use on the battlefields of Ukraine. Although Russia denies the new reports, if North Korea has indeed sent troops, it has become a co-invader, instead of just an accomplice to the invasion.

If true, it is another clear violation of the United Nations charter and unforgivable. North Korea should immediately bring its troops home and stop exporting arms and ammunition.

Russia-North Korea Military Cooperation

White House National Security Communications Advisor John F Kirby also commented on the dispatch of North Korean troops with considerable concern about military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. He noted: "The Russian military is facing great difficulties, with over 1,000 killed and wounded every day. This [news of North Korea's increased involvement] came against that background." 

However, the intensification of the invasion of Ukraine is not the only concern. 

In June 2024, Russia and North Korea signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership treaty." It provides, "[S]hould either party enter into a state of war, the other party will provide military and other assistance without delay." 

That means that Russia might also intervene in a crisis on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has recently been hardening its confrontational stance toward South Korea. Now, a clash between the two Koreas could escalate into a Japan crisis involving Russia. It is not just someone else's problem. 

Apathy Not an Option

Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki recently told a press conference that the unfolding Russia-North Korea military cooperation in Ukraine is "deeply worrying." Needless to say, that applies both in terms of its impact on Ukraine and the security environment surrounding Japan.

Nonetheless, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and both the ruling and opposition parties have hardly expressed any sense of crisis or voiced criticism of Russia and North Korea. Even though we are now in the midst of a general election, it is difficult to understand their apparent indifference. 

Prime Minister Ishiba should instruct the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense to confirm details of North Korea's troop deployment with the Ukrainian government. He should also call on all relevant countries to impose sanctions on Russia and North Korea. Furthermore, Japan should immediately impose its own sanctions against both countries.

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(Read the editorial in Japanese.)

Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun